
£yj/ 




HOLLINGER 

pH8.5 

MILL RUN F3-1543 



NATlOxNAL rOLlTICS. 



Sl'KEOH 



HON. LEMUEL 1). I;;VANS, OF TEXAS, 

DELUWtKI) ^-^^Aj ^ 

IN THE HOUSE OF RErRf:SESTATIVKS, MAY i::, I65f. 



Tbe Hoiia^ hf\us in the Committee of Whole on 
the state of the Union — 

Mr. EVANS said: 

Mr. Chairman: It is not my wish or d'^sif^n on 
the pri's.'iit occasion lo nit«'inpt a diseussiou in 
ertfifi'O of any pHrti<'iiliir piopo^^ition now nioote'l 
before the Nuti.iniil L gislanii-e; but rutlier to en- 
ter my eiiriiHgt, yet respeoiful pr.)tt st ii^Minst thi; 
no;iiation of liiose U'lni'Ces-.-ny uti 1 mischievous 
issui'S wlii'-h th<i special pleii lers of pa tv liave 
pirparcil with an mucli ini^i-nuiiy, ami which they 
are eiidfavoiiriir wiiii sucii an t-xces-s of pervei'.<e 
2 a! to force upon the a'teniioii of Congress and 
the country, while iiitt-rests of the higiiest mo- 
ment, iini demand ng iiiimi'diate action, continue 
to be neg! cted or ii;noroti altog th, r. 

The time has beet) wlien tliis ijreat theatre of 
free di;l)aio witni ssed a far diff.Tent spectacle 
History lias preseived the days and noteil the 
very hours wiicn these wads wore co.is. cva'eJ by 
the sei vices of iinin.^>'tal gejiius dealing wit^i 
nnghty mea ues of universal, becaus'j cf iiationa] 
concern. IJuf, no one cm preiend tliat it Is so 
now. la-t.vid of pr ifo'md arguiii -nt, or impas- 
sioned elocj'i nee on li- g-eat pi'inciples of ou'- 
(iivernmeiil, ami iho piaciicd policy ot its aduiin- 
istratioii, you 'lear nothing save abstract, di q n.-i- 
tions i>n the theory tif public <>i' private mo ai-; or 
inquiries as to llv-! C')nip.i-.itiv ; v-a!ue3 ot free and 
teivilf labor; or wor^e .-til, ti rce assaults and 
U'ise.inty reiMimiu'itions biiiilivl about between 
Oppo-i'ii: lacliiiiH, a- lli so s.-ad defined on the 
mrioii's nipp, bv tlie pdtry and unpatr otic mni ks 
of mero i:eo.^raphic I iiomida ie*, as if intelligence 
mid virtu-,' *eie m liKenou-. to g ven local ties. 

liut if vo'i tu n frt.m this unpleas^ant picture to 
seek leli'f i.i th« wi-dom of jiariies, what is left 
of all their boa-ted science and art, Fave the cun- 
ning of sm a' c:,'eticsy 1. stead of measures, or even 
ffl' n, you Vieiii'ld ma: oeuvres — dexterity without 
Btreugth, and .v lii-m ni; • wit.hout vig u- — a "clieine 
of policy that f>eg ns and ends wi h the philosophy 
of excitement, and whose sole instrument is end- 
less agitation. 



It mu=t not, however, be too hafltiiy cotic'uded, 

either that the pi'i-ioilc .-pirit of the couii'ry ]iaa 

sulfered n treneral i^ccline and lieierioraiioii, oi' thai 

! tie race of ui .nf L/ileilects hnn h(>(onie utterly ei- 

jiinct. An inf i-eiici; so paiulnl'v hiiinili.itiiig doe.S 

' not nocessaiilv IdloA' from the facts Indeed, it 

I cannot be doubi.tl— I nil! not, iil!ow inv.sclf to 

I dl)u^t, ihif. the luai-us of ih" /cople glow with as 

warm and healtliv a lov;; fo- the instituiio.^s of 

I heir iiHiive li id, us ever; while tli • splendid di«- 

coveries in sei. nce, an I thi* progres.s in hc-M-atiire 

'and the arts, prove incoiUis'aUly r.liar, n iijter tho 

i speculative nor priC ical finulti'S of Amciican 

j thinkers in th.; pres^'iii; generation havd decayed 

I in e .eigy or dimin .sh.jd in etfort. 

But if th s f)n so, upo'i wl-at rational principles 

siia I we strive to account ft: tii^ e:ifa'tidinary in- 

(telleciud bari-inn- ss of powe.f.il tho'ight and 

I comprehensive p"li;w whieli yuu p fcjive every- 

where in the halls oM g--lutio i, and other d-pirt- 

j ments of the fJoverninenf, as w 11 a- in all the 

levolnions of oyposiiig fictions? N'mv, to my 

minil, th'j expl.in.ition seeius as o'^vii)in as it i^ 

e.asy. The fo.nial taUic-, V-'i vigorous drdl anJ 

discipline of t'le prof -.ssioial po!itici:tns. o*giir2-;<i 

iu'o a sort of u iholy hiera c'ly in re^^-niar siiboidi- 

nation t.) de-poiic leadeis. nave, nt t''e -^a ne time, 

crHtnped and f -tiered the f-ee •:- nius of ail mir great 

• stHtesni n. and disfranehised th-; soverei-,;n cit-zeiid 

j of their coi-Jiiiut'ond rights. Eveiytiiing, lalenia, 

fame, hon'»r, consci-Micr —his b jcoii.e suoservieiit 

to the interests of p*ri.y, ami must bow at the bid- 

iling of its hose.i chiefs Whtt .<pice can be 

■ fijund fjr the spo itainiou-; devflopm.nt if exa teJ 

linreUect; What oppiji-tuniiy for tie generois iin- 

) I'ulses of honest p tiiuism, in th'- eiu hiiig con- 

j Knemeiit of such n tyrannic il regime' Behold, 

jal.so the apex of ahsurdjry. The selfus^umeil 

i high priests and o-sc'eH of fiction deraatid from all 

Ian iiiicondiiionMl sui-'ende", an aliS'-lute subiuiss OQ 

10 the authoiitv of party, in the name of party, 

and (or the fuike (if party, lint what is parfv. in 

1 the genuitie and noble acce|'tation of the t«'rni V It 

C n be nothing more iLau the incarnate cyiubol, 



2 






uhe living, actual imboiiiment of orrcat national 
ideas and } o-itive practical ends with a view to 
their teilizitii-n \n the oper.itions of Government. 
In other words, there c:in bo no party without a 
poUcy. The inference is iiTC.istibie : as ideas and 
aimsconsiituti^ the soul of parties, when the former 
have been either e.secutcd or abandoned, the latter 
:>ire aheady dead beyond even tlie possibility of 
-esurrectio'u, and shoiild be at once dissolved. 
Ind such is the exact condition of all oui present 
political organizations, as I will show more fully in 
iihe gequel. They are dentinKe of any specific 
difterences, otiier than factional attributes, to dis- 
tinguish them in real clasaiiication from each other; 
md their very iiames are mere unmeaning echoes 
Voin the mighty voices of the past. 

A brief aui lysis of the most prominent facts in 
ihe history of natiomil politics will explain how 
the natural result which I have just indicated has 
been accomplished ; and may serve also as the 
guiding light for the inauzu;ation of a f iture policy. 
In the first place, at the very foundiUion of our 
I'TOvemment, as the main pillar and corner-scoue 
ijf the structure, we discover the gieat idea of po- 
litical liberty. But the particular character, and 
the primary uationaliry of the chiefs and fathers of 
the ke%ohuion, and tlie specific notions necessarily 
implied in their minds by the term liberty, must 
never be forgotten by any who would correctly 
interpret the foraiulds of their language, as pre- 
served in the undying records of those glorious his- 
toric days. Tiie heroes and patriots of that age 
were Englishmen ; all their education, ideas and 
inftitationa were English, and nothing more; 
Every resolution of theirs in Convention and Con- 
gress — every earnest petition which tl/ey laid at 
the foot of the throne — all their speeches, pam- 
phlets, and newspapers — asserted or demanded 
Engli-h liberty, and that only. It was the object 
of their combat, and the precious prize of their 
X)Dquest. 

Having achieved their independence, it remained 
f'H" them to organize the supreme national powers 
into a, system of civil and political unity, for the 
conservation and S'fcurity of their newly-acquired 
freedom ; and in the performance of this wonder- 
ful work — wonderful almost as the creation of a 
world — every student of history knows how large- 
ly t-hey borrowed from the model of the English 
coBStitution ; fjr their ideal still went no farther 
than the perfection of English .liberty. 

Some theorists, it is true, vainly suppose, or, 
At least, talk as if they imagiurd, tliat the men of 
the Revolution framed this Government, not for 
their own happiness and the hopes of their chil- 
dren, but to realize the airy dream of universal 
philanthropy, or the no less idle and impossible 
abstraction of universal equality ; and these soph- 
ists have endeavored to base their absurd hypoth- 
esis on the great charter ot our national freedom, 
by wresting a few isohted phrases from all har- 
mony of interpretation, both with the subject- 
niatter and the context. It must be evident, how- 
ever, to all impartial peisons, who are even com- 
petent te think on such topics, that the liberty 
and equality predicated in that sacred instrument 
mu*t have reL ted exclusively to the sovereign 
oitizena of tlie United States— to the people of the 
^ e thftt alone were parties to the compact, and 



to no others. Those sages and philosophera did 
not meet in solemn deliberation to prepare a con- 
stitution for Africa or India; but in their own ex- 
press language, for "tiiemselves a.id their poster- 
ity." Consider the occasion ; and can it be assumed, 
without the tac':t perpetration of a libel against 
their wisdom, that minds at once so profoundly 
philosophical and eminently practical, would so 
far depart from the immediate and proper busi- 
ness before them, as to diverge and travel oft" into 
the far fields of psychology or comparative physi- 
ology, to affirm the natural equality of all the 
Hottentots in the deserts of the burning zone, of 
all the root-digg-ing savages in the dells of the 
Kocky Mountains, of every baiborous being that 
wears the human shape, with themselves, with 
Washington, Hamilton, and Franklin? For whether 
the ethnological dogma be a sober fact or a ridic- 
ulous fiction, that was neither the time nor the 
place for its assertion. And, besides, the propo- 
sition itself is so supremely preposterous, that it 
may well be doubted whether any sane mind, fully 
comprehending the terms, ever yet truly believed 
it. The word equality i; synonymous with €x<ut 
resemblance, and can never be applied without 
violent absurdity, to thing.s in which the difference 
or contrast predominates over the likeness. As 
well might you state an algebraic equation be- 
tween the numerals one and one thousand, as 
between the inferior colored races and those which 
stand at the climax in the ascending scale of civil- 
ization. 

Returning, however, to the (;onditioM of social 
and civil institutions ;.t the origin of American 
political history, you see almost everywhere the 
local laws of the several States deeply marked and- 
strongly tinctured with the colors of British aris- 
tocracy, with the insoleiit right of primogeniture, 
the powerful tyranny of entails, and the arbitrary 
mechanism of organized monopolies ; while even 
public opinion, under the guidance ot eome illus- 
trious leaders, evinced a perverse tendency of re- 
action towards ancient forms. But precisely when 
the danger to Hberty was becoming most immi- 
nent, a beneficent Providence raised up and brought 
forward on the stage of our national drama, the 
greatest political philosopher that ever lived in any 
epoch or country — that truly wonderful genius, 
that matchless mind, so potent in the faculty of 
comprehensive generalization, so patient and tho- 
roughly searching in analysis, and so dexterous in 
dealing with the perplexities of details, that the 
emanations of his thought seemed almost the 
I effects of inspiration, and his sentences sounded 
I like oracles of superhuman wisdom. And if first 
I of all, and incomparably above all, Washington 
I stands exalted as the Father and temporal saviour 
of the Republic, Jefferson is fairly entitled to the 
I praise of being the genuine parent and chief apos- 
; tie of the Democratic party — that party which was 
! based on the idea of equal sovereignty distributed 
\ among all the citizens of the Union without dis- 
I tinction. He declared a war of extermination 
I against everything that opposed this grand con- 
j ception — against primogeniture, entails, monop- 
oiir--j, and all the impudent pretensions of oli- 
garchy, in whatsoever form the few might seek to 
1 impose subjection on the many. Fearing not to 
j trust the inttlligeace of the people, be called the 



masses to his standard, aii<l by iho aiii o( iht'lr 
irre^^istihlo ullixnci! routol th<* fiii'iids and adiniri.-i rf 
of El'gli^Il aii-;iO'.'iacy — tlio nilvoculcr: of gcnilc 
l)iith mid claa.'Jiciil oduc^iitioii ns llie only doors to 
the dignities of p!aco ;iiid power. Such wm the 
iiiaiif^'j ration and primary .ictoiy of the Dtimo- 
cratic idea. 

I3ut, to achieve this npInuJid liiumph, Thoniaf 
JifTiTfoii liad to eont'ii'l with (I'lirfiil odd:J, with 
all the lenniing, and piejudiee, with ilie pen-ionod 
talents, the paity diili, and cunning tactics of hin 
day. rio had uoi.iiii'g but hin prand army of 
peasantry to vanquish llie lio-ts of ca\aliei-!>, tlie 
mailed kiiigliis of monopoly and privilige, the 
flower and cliti- ol the Si.ll-aHsunied hij^hcr eias«eH. 
And this fact n'one explains the iwunciise popular- 
ity and extraordinary vic;oi- of hib Adi<iini*tration. 
The very liuniblest man of hlH party felt the proud 
ConsciouaneJH that his own arm had aHsisted in the 
glorious combat, and that he Iiiinself shared a poi- 
tion of the lu-lie which beamed around the biow 
of liiri coiii|Uoring chieftiin. A rrer*ideiit, to coui- 
niand real power for admiulHtrative functions, must 
be stiong in public opinion, ami in close, as it 
were, magnetic sympathy with the connnon senti- 
ments and even passions of the people. He must 
feel that the crust of tho earth is solid granitj be- 
neath his feet before he can venture to take steps 
which may sliake the poles. Hut the sage of De- 
mocracy ^vell knew the aU-^nduring firmness of 
the ground on wjiicli he .'^tood, and hence resulted 
the boldness of his measures and the energy of 
their execution. And in this respect ho has had 
no equal since, with thf single exception of Gen- 
eral Jackson, who iud'cd occupied precisely the 
aune position. For both these g'cat men owed 
their measureless popularity to tin; haimony of 
their intuitions and ideas with the feelings and 
opinions of the people. Almost without advisers, 
they were, so to -i)ertk, lx)th their own Cabinets, 
and consequcntiy without discord ill deliberation 
or imbtcility in action ; and the similar ell'ect for 
each has been a ujiiversal and imperishable fame. 
If ^ou tiavt.l into the remote woods of the far 
West, or wander among the sequestered valleys of 
distant mountains, you may find whole neighbor- 
hoods that never so much as h"ard of some Presi- 
dents; but roam where you will, everywhere and 
anywhere, at the sou'Cts of the Mississippi, and 
by the sands cf the .Mexican gulf, with the hunt- 
ers of tlie wide prairies anil the trappers of the 
northern Coid lleras, the names of J. iferson and 
Jackson are still uttered as household words, and 
repeated forevi'r as magical founs of incantatioQ 
by the lips of Democrats throughout the world. 

Tiie s'ruirgle, however, between the antagonistic 
patties and principles did not terminate with the 
brilliant tiiuniph of J Ifiison. lint from that day 
until the present hour, the Dtinociatic idea has 
steadily gained ground, so tiiat now ihe sovereign 
equality of all eit zens is recognised in theory, at 
least, by all classes, and even by the most opposite 
schools of siatismen. 

Nevertheless, the ingenuity of the professional 
politicians is as great as their appetite for power 
shows itself insatiable; and at a ". ■ ly early period, 
when aiistocracy had already s iiV red an irrevo- 
CiiMe decline in opinion, they coi.t ived a sinister 
Bchenie to restore its domination in anotlier shape. 



And, Indeed, one might a'moft nay, that if the 
very prince; of all evil had liin)i(t-tf insfiired them, 
these political traitois against fieedom eould not 
possibly have inutjiiued a more i fTectual method 
lor the eonsummiititin of their object than tho cIJ 
coitcHK system of iflecting nominations for the 
presidenny, and by the combinations and intrigueo 
of the members of Congress. This plan lor the 
disfi anehisemeiit of the people soon gn w to be an 
intolerable giii;vance, and turned the (lovivnnient 
into an arrogant oligarchy, wltioli coniiinied the 
usurpation until Geneial Jatkion crush'd all itH 
machinery into atoms, beneath the weight o; hia 
immense and resistless popularity. 

But the despoli m of the caucus being swept 
away and litemlly consumed in the fires of general 
indignation, the piuenix of conventions, thut otlier 
bird of still more evil omen, quickly arose from its 
a-hes, tinder the cuui ing and baleful tyranny of 
this iifw and irresponsiljle power: the spirit of 
oligaichy has become ncarnate in a more det«sta- 
bli' Ibiin, and has reduced all the political rights 
and inlluciice of the people to the paltry altetna- 
tive of a selection between two rival candidates, 
the nomint.es of the oppusiiig conventions. 

It will be urged, I am well aware, that the high 
authority of General Jackson has approved by ao 
explicit sanction this odious sys'cm of conven- 
tions. But it must be remembered, that he did 
so only under the sale limitation and positive pro- 
viso, "that the di ! -gat' s ^hould come fresh from 
the people." And I ask you, sir, if that absolute 
and necessary condition is fidlilled in the present 
practice of any political organization? Do the del- 
egates come into convention friift from the peo- 
ple? — do they even come fioin the i eople at all? 
Every intehigent man in the United Slates knows 
ti'.e fact to be far otneiwi-e. We havti all seen 
how these things are nianagi d. In what manner 
are the first delegates elected in the villages of the 
rural districts? Eveiy county of overy State in 
the whole Repui)liccan bear witiicss that these pre- 
tended tepresentati\es of popular opinion, of the 
worth and wisdom of this great natioi", are in fact 
chosen by a fev." piofessio'i <1 politicians, ofBce- 
h Iders, or expictaiits of office, wiih their little 
ciicle of satellites, the buliies of the bar loom, aad 
other species of that large ai-d politically iufluen- 
tial genus vu'garly denoniinuted loafers! 

But if you lUMi from such disgraceful tcenes lor 
solace to the populous towns, liie caie is worse 
still; and worst of all n ihe great capitals of com- 
merce ; for there the el mornus confusion of the 
primary meetings baflles all the powers of descrip- 
tion by either pen or pencil ; and the paid priae 
fighters of faction, the butcher boys, and braves 
of fancy, have itJ.ll their own way. 

"Delegates fresh from the people!"' Ami who 
are the people!" Strely not sncli specimens as 
these. No, sir. Uhle the peliif >gu:er and diilled 
politician staiui brawhinr over tliL- names of their 
favorites yon will find the real people, the power 
and pride ol their country, a' home : the mechanic 
with his ton's, the farmer beh nd his plough, five 
ircrchant besiiie his leiigei, the pii>siciHn with 
his I atients, the cleigyman at his desk. For none 
of the truly soveieiun classes en)pio\ed in the pio- 
duction or distiiliution of ra terial, inicllectual or 
moral wealth, have either the liiiie or the taste for 



4 



111 i:- in f;ii.'t supreme, j 
1 iiiatlic'iiMtieal axioia, ! 
.;eri. iic', ibiit !iO man j 
!i')i(.iiii;i;:o'\ exeept l>? { 
!•< iiir* v.'iio ;u-e (Jt^suiied ! 
•iiie!, or the ministers I 
■''I at foreitrn courta. | 
''I'ii^, !';c' necL'^sary ce- | 
i>' i:!)')ii priiicipl.', or I 
l:v' lii.il nieiit, ivut un- } 
terest, in a mm- 
:<H to the elect- 
lowed altir of pation- 



>fs !l 



iho I 'w intri^U'iv .an'l ptcniy arrUafion of FUf^h 
assenib'ijs, whv'li i'ih 'liert-fore left lo the euper- 
vijiioii of the politirai lo:ifl'(S,ovithout control or a 
shadow of re-poa-ibilty. 

I think it mxy he ;<feiv .'issnai'd that out of the 
three or four iniiliriiis of voters ii tlie United 
Stitee, not on.» uiii \'tn tiu- tlioiis.iiid ii;i.-5 anvtliiii!:; 
to do, even t>y irnlir. eii'in, with the chcee of d'!- 
rgites to any coiiVMiiiun, VVI at a Ptranee phe 
lonienon U iliis la t'u; pvictie^^ of a i'nm Govern- 
nent! Will th<; hisio ian of Jiitu e age, or llie 
Democrat of dis'ant i^eterations, be ablo to er( dit 
the luoiiarron-i f.)Ct, that such a pvstetti of utter 
an ] uiU' li^'V(•d a"stoc;'Cv was n Tin tted to grow 
up an'l llouritili hi the •oo;<oin vi an eiriv;hk'n^d re- 
puV>lic:' 

The auTialH of the noild prove, beyond all con- 
troversv, that iheri^h' of iiomiiiHtion tnonopoiiz 'S 
to itself all Ot. ler pew, r, 
And it is cl-;ir almo t ^1 
and deT!ionsrr-iiid '"} iH 
can receive a o'C'-id n'i 
intriguiiii^ wjih ih.' v.v v 
to be the !!i>-niL. ;■ ' i 
to represenr, hi i ;■ ■ i 
Hence, in the muUT ■ I' 
suit tiiir-t be a iiomiiii: lo 
n^itional [lolicj, or- ev.Mi 
del- the motive iudu-nc^^ 
ner at eoii'Liptir.g U) th,- 
ors. And thus, o'l the u 
age and the spo I? ol' otiiee. pubic morali'y and 
political integrity are hal) tn illy Raerificed in every 
a<iucii-j and convention; tor such is the inevitable 
consequence of that dangerous and demoralizing 
system. ■ 

A famous sceptical philosopher has maliciously j 
defined D'-jnocnicy to l>e ''a governm nt by dem- 
agogues." But if Hob cs hid fluiri-hed at this 
lay, he mi:;hr, with a fiue short' of reason, have 
"haracteri?, -d the aisiocracv of conventions as a 
covemniei.t of political loafers ft is even more 
baneful iliivi the o'd expl 'ded plan of the de-<potic 
caucus. For the menibe'S of O'Ui^'ress, who by 
that nieui^ e<F ct> d presMjnti d nominations, mu'-t 
have fcit souu; 8-;nae nf r.-spon-ibiliiy to the peo- 
pl.', as th*' tenure of their ollic.^s depended upon 
the popular will. It is not so with the dil^gites 
Tiiey ovvi" p.'l giance to in) power save p irty, arid 
have luithe'' hope n>r f.-ar hut in the futu.e smiles 
or frowns of the coming Administration. ' 

And wha*, sir, have bi-en tite practical c^nse- 
queiiCes of iliis uimiiu'al and insolent tyranny ? 
It has c-tracised all our grea<e-t Ptafesm' n, bo 
that now the only cei tain pas^po:t to the highest 
position of honor and t ust 8 the possession o* a 
piudent mediocrity. Such is the universal t s'i- 
■roony and indignant com|ilaint of the whole co.in- 
try. Euiitient services, hrilha'it 1 1 iquence, varied 
leaniing. fn-sigh'ed policy, a wo'ld wide fuue, 
are all .-o m.'.ny insunie>U!ita''le obstacles in the 
path of pro notion wliieli leads ro the l'/'esi<lent's 
chair ; tor to be known t) the people is to be 
ignored by the convention. As the ovily legiti- 
mate ! iglnvavfl to ex dted sta'ion have been thus 
c-ffeciU!'; ly bwred, poh'iicians ari; h'd by a moral 
neccHi^ity to seek out rhe cror^k-d and cormpt 
avenues of p»;rty in^igu^j and conspiracy. Re- 
fuu^iug to acc^'pt the gre..t oraetic ,! issucti made up 



by the wants and wishes o^ the age, they under- 
take, with all the HuhU'i ingenuity of ^p"cial 
plead rs, to prepare lieiirious cas s for the political 
jury of the C"U trv — CH-e-* which have no O'her 
tend n y orobj.et thai ihe perpetuity of agitation. 
They call their conveiiiion, consttuct thidr plat- 
form, a' d (if-si' ri.ite their nominees, who are noth- 
ing nior'- tli^n th(- tn -le J^jhii Does in this process 
of p(;ii!ic:d >j.rti!ienr, designed to secun,' the use 
ami posse-sicn of thi-ce laindnd millions of public 
010 'ev. Ttien, ail the orators and O'gans of party 
conie forward fis suitois, or as witnesses, to re- 
echo tite clatiioioiis eiies of their leaders, and the 
career of exciti meiit is i'aiily inau<;uiated. 

In the lueant'iiK', idl other questiotiS, however 
important or prfS-iiig, inu^t remain in iibeyance;~ 
or, as th;; old Ltwyeis would sav, in 'nnbibus, 
wh le tlie [irosectition coi.tiums p^)lding for the 
go'deii keys of patronage and fiower. Even to 
name atiy o'her ^u^ieet as worthy c.f attentiim will 
be not oiiii.' derm d rank treason tigain^t the sove- 
reign majesty of pat ty, liut also iiiipurged con- 
tempt a^.tinst the h gh court of caucu-t. The 
spectacle i.-. paii'fnl ks well Jis ii'voUing iti the ex- 
titiiie; to '■ 'iiold every piiiiciple of im!)rovement 
— every p!:iu of progress, tram(l d wildly and 
wickedly in the dus% until it shidl receive the 
label and eiidor.^eineiit of some ai.ithori'ative con- 
vention ; to hce statesmen of einim lit taletits, 
both in and out of Cuii^jioss, e;a;il'>yiiig all their 
pplrttdid liscid ies iu the barbarous i nteiprise of 
crushing to the etirth every new movenietit not 
origiiMted Sty themstlves; to see all our political 
jourtiali^ts dipping tiieir petis in gall attd poison 
10 blacken tie' fiiii' and bbght the influence 'of 
every dis-en'. f I'lor.i the faith of fictio-', whose 
cup of cu tunuiiioi is the conspiracy of the catictia : 
to knov tiiiit the administrator of a great Gov- 
ernment — a successor of the three immortals, 
VVashiagtoti, Jeltt-rson, and Jackson — httliitually 
bring-i to iiear the full weight (d' three hundred 
milltoiis of gold, to overwhelm and bury, .-is ba- 
ti' aih a tm t.iliic mouiitaiu, every high and holy 
aspiiation of the populir hetirt intensely yearidng 
for ill- ideal of sociui perfection, the very instant 
when it assu nes an O'gaiiiz d shape, or becomes 
capable of oolitiea! recognition. Ttie siuht is tlill 
more sorrowful, unsp' tikably more hu'iali iting, to 
witness a Fr. si Unit of tiie Union — a chief, not of 
sections, hut of the natio'i — wii'- his army of offi- 
cials, and even the ministers of hi-^ Cabinet, etiter- 
i g warmly in'o the canva'^s of a lo(;al (lection, 
and levying tiie m ist odious sp cies of black snail, 
in the form of contributions frotn all his .suboidi- 
nates, to exterminate the freedom of opinion in a 
sovereign S'ate, as the means of sustaining his 
party, and to perpetuate his power for the next 
sueci'«sion. it is. equally d grading to see the 
first Mag'Str te of the greatest Governui nt on the 
globe cotidescending to become a i^\^y on the free 
movements of innocent c tiz uis — a cotiimon in- 
fo mer against them in the courts of despotism — 
itifiiugiiig their constittitional as well as natural 
rights of volutitary emigration — ev n the physical 
right < f iinre-itiaiiDd locomotion — arresting their 
steps by mendicioua prosecutions, on the ridicu- 
lous prete.-st that thev wefe going to make w;r 
on Niciragui,, when it was iio'oiious to all the 
world that they would go as friends, aud at fcbe 



special inht^mce nr>d request of the only polit'eiil 
power in Nit':uar;ui. 

But uli tliJH ifl'ioiifory, foUv, "iirl poliiicnl orimo, 
arc the raiuriil (ruitx of that, oiii- |)oi(;(>ii(iu-» tree, 
the lie idly I piw of tlw cauciiM nnd cniiviMitioti ; 
and, therefore, do I piotc'^t. »g;iin-'f. it. I proli-nt 
Hgiiiiat the 8vsteiii as a wliole ami in nil its p'iris; 
agiinat h? causes nnd it>< eoiisi (|U"iils. afi h-iii'; 
alike death to the hopes ol' f^eniuH. iiml destruo- 
tion to the rifjhts oC every free cit'z'Ti. In the 
names of the preut ones now no liniri-, wlunn 't 
crucified while hvinj: ; in Itehidf of the illustijous 
xien who trenible b^-tbre it-s power to diiv on the 
.erge of pohcical exiii ; in favor of the future 
lx;nefactors of the count ly 'hat it will purely 08- 
traci.se ; for t! e .-•;»ke nf nil morality, li'iprtv, and 
law ; by the aucied Deniocratie idea vf the i»ove- 
rei^n and supreme "qudity of ill Aui-riam citi- 
zens; by the fi!i!ichii-ue ol the niillion-i usurped in 
the hands of the f w ; l)y the activities of com- 
merce, the interesta of seien -e, the clann of re- 
ligion, the demands of progress, the Hpiiit of the 
age ; by the Consiitution and the national itid>'- 
pendence, and by all th': bountiful hlood and 
beautiful lives with which ihey were bou^rht; and 
by the voice of the hlood of our broiheis crying 
from the ground of Panama and Nicaragua — I 
protest aga'iist and defy the aritstocracy of the 
new line of despots — the cruel kings of the caucus 
and convention. 

But the practieal question is emharraspcd with 
extreme dilticulties, when one would inqnir- as to 
the remedy for such mon:5trous eviia. The obvious 
answer is to abandon the sy?teiu al ogether. Thit*. 
however, tlie piof'essional politid.ii.a will never 
consent to do of thr-ir own free accoid, a.s it would 
be a surrender of tlie powers aii'i digniiies which 
they have usurped. And, thertfore, (or eome in- 
definite period of time, the oppief?ivc machinery 
of parlico will piobably continue 'o «0:k on in the 
same old way, t.'ro«' ng ever more and more tyran- 
nical and mischievous^eo as at lasi to become un- 
endin-able, wh ii the aiouscd nuij sty of the peo- 
ple will break iC/vih in their niighi, and s-hiver the 
whole abhon .1 strueit:ic, a.s wi*h the fall of n 
thunderbolt. riovider.c^". in mercy should ever 
again grant us jirotluir truly great man, one of the 
giant race, 1 ke Thoma.s J- ff ison or Genetal Jack- 
son, ho would g'.ind ti'i.s iiifimous sham of loafer 
oligarchy into p wder, and all the brool of politi- 
cal vipers that .:^5t^• in its borom, with one single 
Ciusk of hw iro:i boot- heel. And hence the uni- 
versal crv from one end of the conu'iy to the 
Other, " VVc waisi anotiur Gvneral Jackson!" 

The Bcheme c conventif^ns can ur^ie only the 
-solitary arj,umcir. in jusiificiition o( its a^sump- 
tione, thj;i sucli .i ligorou.s rrf/ime is nfCessary to 
'■"eotr.icentrateii strength and unity to the oper- 
.:nfi ftf parlies; but, a.s I have previously ind- 
■id, there are really no paities now existing in 
/e true sense of tlie term. All rhe pfi"Cipal i.s^ues 
^;- ve been forever adjudicated in ac •onhince with 
rhe original nemocratic idea as expotmded by 
JertijTBiui. We hear not a whispered sylliblaany 
more of high tarilis, f e? trade, or national kaiiks. 
No sucl) timbers can t)..- found in recent ;>*iitform9. 
'I'he only ostensi'do pa'ty organizatioM that can 
cffier any sort of pretension to i expectable anti- 
quity iii the self-aajuiued Dcuocr^'Jij party; but, 



a« I have just Paid, its p'jrei' le« are common to 
all the other fuciiDns, iiinl, theref re, r,inn««t gei-vo 
an tilt: bMS of u separate anl dUtinct classifica- 
tion. 

1 do not know any better method of illustrating 
the precise views which I entertain on this «ub- 
j cl, than by a bri-f reference to th.' f.icig of my 
own private ()olit'cal his'ory. In the piiciary im- 
port of the word, I have t)i'cn a I)en).'>eriit from 
the il«ys of my eatlies' yonth ; I am so still, and 
sha'l always be sr). Fr-mi the year of my imjor- 
itv I have been in all the gnat batiles of the 
American Dcmoca-y for fupretnncy, nud there 
has tiot b'cn a monunieiit raised to crHninemorato 
its vicloiiea, at wl.ich I cnnm t poiiit. in.d s-.'.y of 
FOiue p(-bblc in tho pr()ud column, 'that, too, 
was conlribu'ed bv mv hm d." But I (i'ld it ut- 
terly impossibh> to net with the prepeiit ndmini^- 
Iraiion of the Demociiiie I'a-ty. I will not bow 
down ill the dust and ofl'er my conscience and uiy 
country as sacrilices tu th.e murderou.j Moloch of 
conventions. 

But no lefl'Cting iftind c.in fiil to perceive the 
immen-e difl.'rence bciwei-n the |;eni.iine D'-nioc- 
racy, distinguished by the attributes ni.tl actions 
which I have Just t numerated, i nd ilio i.'i' grade 
faction that no^v pretei ds an exclusive title lo the 
name. Day and darknes-s are scircely more 
strong'y contrasted. If, however, jdl the other 
opposing evidence were wanting, the so called 
Democratic orginizition in thin Mouse would 
fidsifv their a-isumpt o i of id tiiiiy with the school 
of jiffrson and Jickson. You l>ehold here, 
among them, 8<ime fifteen c r trore Whig^, five or 
more Free Soileis, as many ne mbeis of tlie Amer- 
ican order, and some twenty-five or thirty belong- 
ing to the wing «>f Southern Ri^ht.s, thus leaving 
1 ss than a thiid of the whole num'K i- who were 
Democrats of the old line. And thi.- fict shows 
conclusivfly the dissolution of the oiiuinal party. 

It cannot be doubted that, if there be any po- 
litical organization at nH among the inas.«e?, it is 
thoroi;glilT Democratic; but 1 must pionouuce it 
an absurdiiy to suppose that tlie Deinoc alic rank 
and file of the gr< at army of pio^r. fs are oiBcered 
and commande<l by their ancient enemies- — by 
Whiga, Fiee-Soilers, Aboliiioniste, Niillifiers, 
Know-Xothinprs, and S^ecessionL-ts. Indcid, the 
coalition of all these ho-tile and heteiogeneoua 
elements, under the popular i uphonious appella- 
tion of Democtacy, cannot present a piinciple, 
not even a single p litical dogma, in common ; hut 
a I the time the appeal has b.-ei : " Stand by the 
South — ^^Ktmid as one man, ai d show an undivided 
front in opposition lo the d ok banner of HUcb 
Repuhlii-anism." Such was the sole lie of lirotb- 
eriiood that bound tog-tiier "the immortal sev* 
entv-fv)ur." No, sir, not a-solitary piinciple of po 
liti al doctrine has been annouic-d by tb< m, uot 
will there he until af er the first Mond.iy m June, 
when the Cinciumni conveiitiou will furnish a p'at- 
forrn. Until then, itey diro not, as \ p.rty, pre- 
sent a single i.ssue, or affirm oue poU'.ictil propoBi- 
tion. 

Recurring now to the R^pubUcan school, they 
too appeal to parly orgmi z-'4tiv.», to act as a utiii: 
not for thepu'pose ff cin'^n^ out some great 
measure of national politiw^;" tiot to advance the 
interests, aiid prouiute tt'e general weUiire of our 



JCODinion country — no, sir ; their cry alpo is sec- 
/tional : "Stiind by your arms — stand firm and 
inited to wage a relentlfss wur upon the slave 
.jiver of ihe Fouth." Such is the purely sec- 
tional strife fast consuming the vital enor-ries uf 
this youthful Republic ; and under these circum- 
stances I deem it m5 duty to enter my solemn 
' protest against those political organizations which 
spring fiom party conventions. 

Ii is to be noticed as a remarkable phenomenon 
in the Republican platform, that it presents but a 
single plank, and that is altogether theoretical — 
the isolated idea of opposition to slavery. Nor 
can thej resi^^t the force of this fatal objection by 
raising the wiju :^houf of " Freedom for Kansas," 
because that question is already virtually settled, 
since the statesmen of all sects are now agreed to 
let the sovereign citizens of the Territories choose 
their own institutions. 

But the most startling feature in the Republican 
movement is its manifest tendency towards a dis- 
solution of the Union. I do not now allude to any 
sudden and viol nt di-rup ion, a catastrophe 
which shall mark the lines of the different States 
with blood, by plunging the country into the hor- 
rors of civil war, although such an event is no 
distant or imaginary probability. I refer to a 
natural and inevitable danger — to the "pernicious 
fruits which all this agitation must necessarily 
beer in the next geneiation. The whole series of 
facts in the present age, according to an eternal 
law of social dynamics, will co-operate as causes 
to produce the phenomonon of the age that shall 
immediately succeed us. Now, sir, it requires no 
spirit of prophecy to predict what must be the 
sonseqiiences of all this sectional discord and bit- 
;ier hostility on the opinions and passions of our 
.children. The press, the platform, and even the 
'puli)it, are all busily engaged in brewing the storm 
Vhich will, one day, roll iis thunders over every 
fountain and valley in the land, and shatter Ihe 
air fabric of our ^Toe institutions into atoms, unless 
f 0!ue scheme can be devised to remove these ac- 
tive and poweiful causes of decay and disintegra- 
tion. For it is a fundamental axiom oi political 
Statics, that no society can hold together as a du- 
rable unity wiihoul a vital and vigoicuj spiiit of 
national ty. Thiie must be a feeling of common 
interest among all those who live under tlie same 
government. No considerable part of the commu- 
nity must regard themselves as foreigners or ene- 
mies with respect to another part. But the slavery 
agitation ignores these high scientitic and social 
laws, as if it were in reahty the express and delib- 
erate object of parties to destroy the Constitution. 
The excitement operates also in another equally 
fatal manner to efft ct the same unworthy end, and 
coteiiporaneously produces the greatest piesent 
evils; for amidst .the fury of this sectional war, no 
important measure of a national character can ob- 
tain even a respectful hearing. As the loar of the 
tempest btHiotui 3 louder, and the daikness thick- 
ens over the land, every nolilu principle, every 
tiiue-liullowed institution, every generous aspira- 
tion of the human heart — Anieiicaiii>ni, conserv- 
aVism, Dcmociacy, i<ay the pinnci|.les and practice 
of our mo^t holy ii ligion, niu:<t all bow their fact- s 
in the duet, uulil the deadly sirocco shall have 
paascd by. 



At this very moment there are questions of the 
deepest interest wholly overshadowed by the 
black cioiid of the slavery discussion. Time, the 
mighty innovator, has placed the nation in a new 
sphere of circumstances impeiiously demanding 
the polfcy of new measures. Dndcr the influence 
of the great demociaiic idea expressed by the 
word progress, teiritories ample enough for em- 
pires have been added to the original patrimony 
of the Union. A bright star of virgin gold glitters 
on the western border of our hunner, as it waves 
over the wateis of the Pacific ocean, from the 
Titan's fiag-stafi'of the Rocky Mountains, But we 
need arches of iron, traversed by steam, and 
swept by electiici'y, to span the gulf of distance 
between the central Government and these reraote 
possessions. We hare advance '. to the dignity of 
a first-class poHcr araov.g the sovereigns of th^ 
earth, and our comnieic al relations are wide ex- 
tended as the world. By the revolutioQ in the 
navigation of the ocean caused by the introductioa 
of steam, we ha^e been brought info immediate con- 
tact with the other hemisphere. The living, active 
Governments of this and of the Old World stand 
face to face with each other, an J also with the 
worn out, dilapidated Powers, not only of both 
continents, but of the beautiful islands of Oceanica; 
and these, too, are to be regenerated by either one 
or the other — by the Anglo-Airiericau race, with 
all the vigor and vitnlity of fn.e insiitutions ; or by 
the dilfcient despoti-ins of Eiuope, eager to in- 
graft upon thetn the co.rupt and tyrannical theo- 
ries of the (JlJ World. And hence may be iafer- 
red the urgent denUeratian of an enlarged and 
comprehensive f ireign poUiy, suited to such a state 
of circumstar.ces ; ^.n i this is precisely what the 
popular mind so vehemKntly demands, but which, 
in the mad rage of factions, is utteiiy denied us. 

Tliis treacluroui fol'y and imbecility have been 
forcibly illiistiaied in a recent instance. The 
people of NicatagUfi, in -the exercise of their un- 
doubted lights as a sovereign community, saw fit 
'o change tiieir lorm of government, and on the 
13th of October of the last year they overthrew the 
seryilt's of the Chamorro faction, established a 
Republic, and appointed Patricio Rivas, a native- 
born citizen, as their Pr('sid.;nt, and William 
Walker, a naturalized citizen, as commander-in- 
chief of the armies. Since that time there has 
been no revi lution, nor attempt at rt^volution., 
neither insurrection nor rebtiiion, ijy the people 
of Nicaragua. Nor "« the Government la-Id by 
military lule. The Pr.sirient and his Cabinet ai-c 
all natives. Granada, a city of four thousand in- 
habitants, is the lu'adqtianers of the at my, while 
the executive atid civil officers pet fofm their func- 
tions at Leon, a city of neatly f<)i ty thousand peo- 
ple, distant a htmdied miles fiom Gianada, and 
entirely free fioni the presence of any Aniericau 
soldiers for the last three months. Indeed, no 
Ameiican tioops are to be seen iti any of the large 
towns, with the exception of Granada. The offi- 
cers and soldiers in all the other cities are pure 
natives. The who'e popultiSion of Nicaragua 
amounts to two hundred and seventy-five thou- 
miid; and it may he well doubted whether there 
be anot.ier people in the civilized wo Id so unani- 
mously agreed in the co dijil support of their Gov- 
ernment. There is absolutely no sectional strife 



)!' parly dlcoord an^ong thpni. There ia piTbapH 
00 m liUry t.liii f o i tlic siirfiice ol the glolu! thut 
poawfS'ee in ;i lii};lior di'grei' llic conlitlcnci; of liis 
soldiciri, and tlit- cinzi-MS ol' liis country, lUiiu 
William WaikiN. TImm new H. public of Xicar- 1 
I'^ua iff l<>ciitt'd at tlii> exact point where wc mostl 
; ijuire an eiilij^lireiud and libeial (ioverniiuMit 
Hid fiiciidl} ally. It s'ands dirccliv on the grout 
ligliivay ti> o\\v I'acific p()HHl•^^i^)^1, whijrc our 
-ov'ert'ign citizen!* ave passiiif^ daily. 

Now, the people d<Mnand, uikI very properly 
too, to know why the only ptilitieal power in Nic.i- 
rag;uii ha« r.nt been rcco;2niHed by the Federal Kx- ] 
^cutive? A fitraiige coinl)inarK)ii seeni.'i to luive 
been formed aj^a n>*t ihn new Republic. Malig- 
niint feeling and .iitn'ster fijiposiition have been 
iroiistd, and kept alive, »f il lor tl\o express pur- 
pose of giving time for Ihili'-h and French inter- 
ferene^-, to aid Coe-ta Rica by arms anil men in her 
erusade against Nicaragua; aiid, allow me to ask, 
for what end ? There is no declaration of war — no 
pretended euu-e of ipiarrel against Nicaragua ad a 
RrpuWie; but it i.s a declaration ol rutkdcss hos- 
•.ility against AiULMiean citizens in the N'iearaguan 
service. This, sir, is the tmdeniable I'ict. And yet 
the infamou.- transaction is virtually countenanced 
and approvtd by the American Government ; thus 
tacitly admitting the pretension, that our own 
people have no right to engage in the ffrvice of a 
foreign po«er. It is a war t!p4tr Ameiican citi- 
zeri-i, aieiely because they are American?, and by 
Britirth soldior.s carrying Hriiish niu>kcts. 

But again, tir, look at the humiliation to which 
we are subjected by having our tran.-iit interrupted 
— our free pai^sage from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
States of the Union ! How mortifying id the foct 
to us as a natiOn, and how destructive of the 
rights aud interests of our citizens ! The I'acihe 
gate to our western dominions is already closed 
against us by the Costa Ricans, who, in their 
thirst for Atnerican biood, have taken possession 
of San .Tuan del Sur; while &« Juan del N'orte, 
on the Atlantic side, is guarded by the batteries 
of British war ships, which tul ject all American.-, 
desiring to enter tbat poit to impertinent and arl)i- 
Irary police regulations. 

Mr, OADWALADEK. I would inquire of the 
gentleman if he has (iutlienlic iuformaiion to that 
otfect? and, if 50, of what character is it? 

Mr. FiVANS. I am in possession of authentic 
facts that the steaiser Oriz^iba, iu the act of trans- 



ferring her, paiisengerp to tho Hteanicr of tb« 
Trani»it Company, wa^ laj^t month stopped by q 
British otlicer, and the pri^siMige.-H were not per« 
mittfd to land until that otii -er wa'f ^atifified that 
they were not going to join (lenertl Walker. That 
information is now laid, as I understniid, before tho 
Presid-nt of the United titates. 
, Mr. C(^ D\VAI,A1)KR. In authentic form? 

Mr. KV.W.S. Ves, in au'henti': form, by Cap- 
tain Tinklepaugh, of tho steamer. 

.Mr. CADWAIiADKR. I do tint wi.sh the gen- 
tleman to understand that I denied ttu; correct- 
ness of his gi'iicral statement. I wished to obtaiu 
as particular information ns pos.-ible of the gi-ounda 
on which he rested Lis belief of the fact which ho 
ha.s stati-d. 

Mr. EVANS. Mr. Chairman, no man can 
doubt but that all the bloodshed and riot in Cen- 
tral Amerea is jusily attributable to the failure or 
refusal of our present Administralio.i to rccogniso 
the Riva- government in Nicaragua — a failure or 
refural which should biing upoti those having 
charge of the foreign Viureau the disapprobation 
and censure of the American people. They now 
stand condemned by the judgment of the maesep; 
and as under other governments a njinistry that 
' would thus abuse its power and prove recreant to 
the public trusts committed to its liand.s, would 
! be degraded and dismissed, so sho\i!d tho-ie under 
the existing American Administration, who have 
b(!en guilty of such unr aiural malfeasance iu of- 
fice, suffer a like penalty. The public voice de- 
mands it, sir. The people demand the retirement 
of Mr. Secretary Marcy, and the immediate recog- 
nition of the piesent government of Nicaragua." 
Not only this, sir, but the American CVjngress has 
a high duty to perform. The repre.sentativefl of 
the people in their legislative capacity should nc. 
\ only repeal, and abolish forever, the odioue neC< 
; tralify law.s, hut Congress should also reaffirm th© 
Monroe doctrine, defining it« meaning ia tcnnC 
too plain to be misunderstood even by DritiflW 
diplomatist:?. Let us do this, sir, and, my word 
for it, it will open up a bright era for coii8titu< 
lional liberty. This sulject, however. Mr. Chair, 
man, I propose to discuss at an early day, and 
shall pursue it no further fur the present. 

* Mcaragua has since been recognised bj the Prea> 
dent. 



CIRCULAR. 



The u"dprsienp<1, nr^rabprs of the National 
Ex'cnlive Gomviitt'-e of the American Purti/, 
httvi' pli'asuri! in aniniuncinji to the p(^oplf, that 
SJitisfactory aminKementpi for the future mnin- 
teiwnce of ih.- Amkiucan Okgan, as an au- 
thoritative frpo-nfTt «7)</ «t/fK>c'rii"of the piln- 
ciplfs of the American Party, have been 
completed. 

BfCOinniencinjT it^ labors, under thf se new 
auspices, the'uii<ieri=igued cheerfully commend 



the American Organ to the generous con- 
df-nce of the Anuricnn Party, in every sec- 
lien of the CoifA'd.racv, and thev hope its 
columns may command the widest circula- 
tion. 

nUMPIlREY MARSHA! L, of Ky, 

SOLCMON' (i. HAVKN', of N. Y. 

J. M RFMSON" HARRIS, of Md. 

JACOB HROOM, IVnn. 
Wasiukisto.n Ciry, D. C, May 15tb, 1856, 



PROSPECTUS OF TOE AMERICAN ORfiAN. 

Thk Am'rican Organ havinf: heen adopted, by the Exrcniive O'lnmittn of the Arn/ri- 
eanmiinherx of Counreaa, as the ccvtral orcian of the American party, iIk- pntpii'ter, »\ith 
a vi<-w to its jieiien'il and ext•■i)-iv^• c renlation throughout the eotinirv, has <eti'nniiie<l, on 
coiisulatioii wiTh his to'itieal fiii'nds, to fu iiish tiie P^me to -utw'Til-cs. wiuiPo Milj-^oiiprioi.g 
are rcmiiied after May l.-t, ayiddwnng t/ie mo-nths of May, June, and July, on the following 
reduced terms, to wit; 

I'erms <f the Daily American Organ. 

Daily Organ, for one year - - $3 00 | Daily Organ, for bik months 

Terms nf the Weekly Amcricari Organ. 



#2 00 



W'^el-ly Organ, for ore year, to Kivgle 
piihscrileiB - - - - $1 50 

Weikly Organ, ior bis. mi>nthF, to single 
Siih-criheifi .... ; 00 

Wi kly Organ, for one year, io clute o 



1 25 



eijl' t or more Rnb.aeiiVM>ifi, each 
Weikly Organ, fornix months, to clubs 

(if e'ghi or mo.e Sl)■■^er^t•ere, < a'-.h 1 

Weekly Org'ni lor ih-^ cinijHi gv, to vvit; 

frt-D rii/i'.^y <o \bth J\ o/vf«Z"r, each 6 



All mibaerh^'is whose Piib^cnptions have been ri.initte<l duribg tlio month of May, he,ve 
fc€en charged ldj at above laiea 



Americans," nor tlie Black Republicans, had laid down any plalforin — ^iliey 
were Jii^huiifi^ x/iij, nuiniitg xvilli a margin. Tiie Deinocrals liati a platlonn, 
and ii was ihis : 

" Resolved, Tliiit tlw! Domocintic inombors of tin* House of Rupnsentiitivis, (hou<;!i in a 
temporary minori(y in this body, deem this a fit occasion' to tendi-r to ihuir f.-liow-ciiizeiin 
of the whole Union their heartfelt congratulations on the triumph in the recent elections in 
several of the northern, eastern, nnd western, ns well as southern States, of tin- principles of 
the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and the doctrines of civil and religious liberty, which have been so 
violently assailed by a secret political order known as the Know Nothing parly. And, though 
in a minority, we luild it to be our highest duty to preserve our organization, and continue 
our efTorts in the maintenance and defense of those principles, nnd the constitutional rights of 
every section and every class of citizens, against their opponents of every description, wliithcr 
the so-called Republicans, Know Nothings, or I'usionists; nnd to this end wo look with con- 
fidence to the suj>pi>rt and approbation of all good and true men — friends of the Constitution 
and Union throughout the country." 

It will be seen that tJiere arc only two planks in this platfonn. The one, 
in favor of the principles of the Kansas-Nebraska bill — the very principles upon 
which I was rei^lected, — and the other against the proscripliveness of Know 
Nothinijisni. Bear in niind the fact that, when I was elected, there were no 
Know Nothings in my district — that I was not one. And now, may I not 
ask, if there is a single honest anil intelligent man in my district who beliiives 
that I have '* abandoned the principles upon which I was elected .'" Or if, 
in view of these Aicts, there is any one, but an intentional calumniator, who 
will ever again assert it ? 

Again : It is said that I should have voted for Henry M. Fuller for Speaker — 
that he was a good enough pro-slavery man ; for Kennett, Lindley and Porter 
voted for him; and, therefore, '-some wise political teachers" argue that he 
is sound enough for me ! It is a sufficient answer to this argument, (il argu- 
ment it maybe called,) that Kennett, Lindley, and Porter act upon their otvn 
judgments, imrler their oirn responsibilities. I act upon my judgment under 
mi/ responsibilidj. 

In a speech delivered by me, on the 9th day of January last, in the House, 
I took up the record of this ]Mr. Fuller. I showed that he had voted for iMr. 
Pennington, who had favored a motion to suspend tiie rules of the House, to 
allow IVIr. Elliott to introduce a bill to repeal the fugitive slave law, and who 
had voted for both Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, and Mr. Banks, of Massachusetts, 
for Speaker of the present Congress. I called attention to the fact that he 
had, in reply to a (luestion put by Mr, Sage, of New York, said that " if the 
Missouri compromise can be restored, I would most ceutai.nly be in favor 
OF ITS iiESTOR.vnoN ; but, in view of the difficulties ichich surrotind that 
question and must defeat your efforts, I say, that I am opposed to the agita- 
tion of that question." 

It was upon this declaration he stood when I made that speech. I give you 
the extract, in his own words, to show that I did him no injustice. On the 
17th day of January, he had occasion to define his position again ; and, in the 
mean time, his '• baclc-hone " having been strengthened by the influence of 
some of his southern supporters, he was worked up to the point of declaring, 
that " Congress has no constitutional power either to legislate slavery into, or 
exclude it from, a Territory." 



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011 897 761 



On one day, during the present session, he te 
promise line can be restored, he would most certa 
Hon;'' and on another day, during the same sess. 
thing is unconstitutional ! — that Congress has " 7io power to exclude slavery /" 
Still, if he could, he would restore this unconstitutiwial restriction ! I leave it 
to his admirers and supporters to reconcile and harmonize these declarations ; 
1 freely admit my incapacity. 

But he gets farther down South than I go, (for he is a fast traveler when 
he does start.) He says : " Neither has the Territorial Legislature, in my 
judgment, any right to legislate upon that subject, except so far as may be 
necessary to protect the citizens of the Territory in the enjoyment of their 
property." This is the extreme ground of the fire-eaters. I believe that, 
under the powers conferred by the organic act of Kansas and Nebraska, " to 
regulate their own domestic concerns," they may either establish or prohibit 
slavery, just as they think proper. 

Again: He says, in his last speech, in answer to the interrogatory, wdiether 
he believed the VVilmot proviso constitutional ? — 

" I was not a member of the Congress of 1850, and have never been called on to eiiher 
qffii-in ordenij the constitutionalitrj of the Wilinot proviso." * * * ''JHy political existence com- 
menced since that flood; and having never taken any public position, I am willing, in all frankness 
and candor, to do so now." 

I W'ill show you that his memory is as oblivious as his sudden conversion 
is marvelous. This same Henry M. Fuller, on the ISth of August, 1849, 
wrote a letter to B. F. Saxton — aletter from which the following are extracts: 

" You state in your letter, that the FREE-SOILERS will hold a convention at Hyde Parke, 
on the 30th instant. There is a pretty strong ])rohability that I will be in the field for Canal 
Commissioner, and it would certainly aid my prospects very MATERIALLY to receive a 

N0MIN-A1I0N FROM YOUR PARTY." 

He had not then this holy horror of a " wild hunt after office" denounced 
by his brethren in Philadelphia. Oh, no! It would '^ very materially aid 
his yrospects''' to get a nomination from a regular Free-Soil convention ; and 
as it would aid those prospects, he wanted it ; and had good reasons to give 
why he should have it. Hear him: 

" / am in favor of FREE SOIL, free speech, free labor, and free men; BEING A WILMOT 
r^ROVISO MAN UP TO THE HUB, AND UTTERLY OPPOSED TO THE EXTEN- 
SION OF SLAVERY"!!! 

He was up to the HUB IN FREE SOIL when he wanted a Free-Soil 
nomination ; and I have never heard of his PRIZING OUT, until he wanted 
the votes of souiid national men for the speakei-ship. He goes on : 

" The matter will require prudent management, and I know of no man xrho can accomplish it 
heller than yourself. It would be bad policy to attempt it withoxit a certainly of success. Consult 
with our mutual friends, Hackley and Johnson, and write me soon. 

"Yours truly, HENRY M. FULLER." 

Thus it appears, that on the 18th dav of August. 1849. he M'as a "WIL- 
MOT PROVISO M.'\N UP TO THE HUB," and on tlie 17th day of 
January, 1856, he declares ''that he never took any public position on the 



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